May 26, 2026
Dave DeCamp
Dave DeCamp
Iran's IRGC said that
its air defense forces downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone
The Iranian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the US committed a “flagrant
violation” of the ceasefire between the US and Iran, a statement that came a
day after the US military said that it launched strikes against targets in
southern Iran.
The Iranian ministry said that it “strongly condemns” the US attacks and “holds the American regime fully responsible for all consequences arising from these aggressive acts.” The ministry also suggested Iran would respond.
“Without any doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered and will show not the slightest hesitation in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran,” the statement said.
According to US officials, the US bombed Iranian boats that it claimed were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and then targeted missile launch sites used to target US aircraft. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that its air defense forces shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Persian Gulf and also fired on an RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone and an “intruding” F-35 fighter jet.
Iranian sources told Al Jazeera that several IRGC personnel were killed by the US attack on Bandar Abbas, but so far, the casualties haven’t been confirmed by Tehran. The IRGC said that it has a “legitimate and definite right” to respond to ceasefire violations by the “aggressor US military.”
The US attack came amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran that are being mediated by Pakistan and follows a pattern of Iran being bombed during talks with the US. “The perpetration of these aggressive actions, concurrent with the ongoing diplomatic process mediated by Pakistan, once again exposed the dishonesty and unreliability of the ruling establishment of the United States to the Iranian nation, the peoples of the region, and the international community,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Ayatollah Mojtaba
Khamenei released a message marking the Hajj season
Iranian Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement on Tuesday that
the US will no longer have a “safe haven” in the Middle East for its military
bases, remarks that come after the Iranian military struck US bases across the
region during the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.In the statement, released to mark the Hajj season, when Muslim pilgrims travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Khamenei addressed other Muslim nations in comments that appeared to be directed at the Gulf Arab states that host US bases and were struck by Iranian missiles and drones.
“I, with sincerity and purity of intention, invite all Islamic countries and governments to friendship and cooperation in goodness, so that by working together we may take steps toward the advancement of the Islamic Ummah and the resolution of the Islamic world’s problems,” Khamenei said, according to an English translation of the statement posted on his website.
“What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for US bases. The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status,” he added.
The Iranian leader also referenced Israel, saying that the “shaken Zionist regime and the cancerous tumor of Israel are likewise approaching the final stages of their wretched existence.”
Khamenei has yet to make a public appearance since replacing his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed by an Israeli strike alongside other members of his family on February 28, the first day of the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign. Western media reports have said that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the strike but that he is still playing a critical role in shaping Iran’s war strategy.
President Trump on
Tuesday issued a post on Truth Social complaining about US media coverage of
his war against Iran that was a word-for-word repeat of a post he made eight
days ago.
Recent reporting from
mainstream US media outlets citing unnamed US officials has revealed that US
intelligence believes Iran maintains about 70% of its pre-war missile inventory
and that the Iranian military is reconstituting itself much more quickly than
expected, painting a drastically different picture than what the Trump
administration has been claiming publicly.Trump said in his post: “If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag, and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary ‘Documents of Surrender,’ and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close.”
He concluded that the “Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!”
The president’s complaint comes as the full-scale US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran could resume at any time, as the US launched strikes on southern Iran on Monday, and Israel is escalating its war in Lebanon.
Pakistani-mediated negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue, and Trump appears frustrated that Iran hasn’t capitulated to US demands, though he has also complicated the negotiations by suggesting that an agreement should also include normalization between Israel and Muslim states, which is extremely unlikely.
No comments:
Post a Comment